As promised, here is my review of a farm novel, Adelaide-based Stephen Orr's The hands: An Australian pastoral. It is his sixth novel but the first that I've read. Where have I been? The hands is such a good read I wonder why I haven't read him before. Among the review excerpts for his previous novels provided at the beginning … Continue reading Stephen Orr, The hands: An Australian pastoral (Review)
Farm literature
Alice Robinson, Anchor point (Review)
I love it when the book I'm reading picks up ideas explored in my previous book. Alice Robinson's debut novel Anchor point is, in reality, far removed from Mark Henshaw's The snow kimono (my review), but the first line of Henshaw's book - "There are times in your life when something happens after which you are … Continue reading Alice Robinson, Anchor point (Review)
Jessica White, Entitlement (Review)
Entitlement is a powerful title for Australian author Jessica White's second novel, but then White wanted to explore some powerful themes - though they are, unfortunately, somewhat belied by the rural romance/saga looking cover. The author bio at the front of the book tells us that White grew up on a property in northwest New South Wales … Continue reading Jessica White, Entitlement (Review)
Evie Wyld, All the birds, singing (Review)
Quite by coincidence, I read Evie Wyld's second novel All the birds, singing straight after Eleanor Catton's The luminaries. I was intrigued by some similarities - both have a mystery at their core, and both use a complex narrative structure - but enjoyed their differences. Wyld's book is tightly focused on one main character while Catton's sprawls (albeit in … Continue reading Evie Wyld, All the birds, singing (Review)
Carrie Tiffany, Mateship with birds (Review)
Carrie Tiffany is on a roll. Last month her second novel, Mateship with birds, won the inaugural Stella Prize, and this month it won the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction at the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards. It has also been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin award. Many bloggers* have already read and reviewed … Continue reading Carrie Tiffany, Mateship with birds (Review)
Nancy Cato, All the rivers run, Book 1 (Review)
It's been a long time since I reviewed an audiobook or, more accurately, reviewed a book via its audiobook version. As I've said before, I don't listen often to audiobooks, but last month Mr Gums and I did a long drive and so decided to listen to Nancy Cato's All the rivers run. I referred … Continue reading Nancy Cato, All the rivers run, Book 1 (Review)
Jeanine Leane, Purple threads (Review for Indigenous Literature Week)
Bookcover via University of Queensland Press* What I especially like about Jeanine Leane's book, Purple threads, is how well she draws the universal out of the particular. That she does this is not unusual in itself. After all, this is what our favourite books tend to do. The interesting thing about Purple threads, though, is … Continue reading Jeanine Leane, Purple threads (Review for Indigenous Literature Week)
Willa Cather, My Antonia (Review of eNotated edition)
I am a Willa Cather fan, and have read some of her novels and short stories, so was intrigued when eNotated Classics offered me an eNotated version of Cather's My Ántonia for review. eNotated? That sounded like something worth exploring so, although I've read the novel before, I decided to read it again. I wasn't sorry. … Continue reading Willa Cather, My Antonia (Review of eNotated edition)
Gillian Mears, Foal’s bread (Review)
Foal's bread is Gillian Mears' first novel in around 16 years, though she has published short stories in the interim. This is a shame because she is a beautiful writer, particularly when she writes about the place she knows best, the farms of the New South Wales north coast. Foal's bread is about the Nancarrow … Continue reading Gillian Mears, Foal’s bread (Review)
Elizabeth Jolley, Diary of a weekend farmer
I took 2 valium and went to bed early (Monday 12th October, 1970) Elizabeth Jolley's Diary of a weekend farmer is one quirky memoir (if you can call it that). And yet it is, really, exactly what you might expect from a writer who rarely wrote the expected! It is a slim volume - illustrated … Continue reading Elizabeth Jolley, Diary of a weekend farmer
Whispering Gums 